asthma is a disease of the small airways that channel the air we breathe into the lungs. during an attack, the airways become smaller & increase the resistance to breathing. in the most severe form, the airways become so small that little or no air passes through, thereby limiting the amount of oxygen to the body.
this lady has had asthma for many years. last year she was admitted to the ICU with asthma so severe, she collapsed & had to be hooked up to a ventilator to assist breathing. she recovered completely after 2 days of treatment & was advised to take her regular medications - it was her reluctance that resulted in the attack in the 1st place.
she came back again last week. she had been unwell for several hours & then collapsed in a car driven by a colleague. it was some time before she reached hospital. the asthmatic attack was controlled within the hour but the delay during the journey to the emergency department had resulted in a lack of oxygen to the brain, resulting in irreversible injury.
she has been in ICU for a week & hasn't woken up yet. a brain scan will confirm the damage & in all likelihood, she will be vegetative. the costs, not just financial, will be enormous - her children will lose a doting mother & her students will lose an excellent teacher.
what if..... she had religiously taken her medication, like the doctor ordered?
what if.....she had immediately come to hospital at the 1st sign of trouble?
what if....?
8 comments:
If only they are not so stuborn. This is so sad. Then again, could she be suffering from dementia and cannot remember to take?
iml,
she's only 47 - in fact, she spent her birthday in ICU & that was the card from her kids - & in full control of her faculties.
a real pity!
There is only a limit to how much we can control our lives. Why explore the what ifs if all they can remain as are what ifs.
Perhaps, just perhaps, there is a greater Plan to this all.
anastasia,
true, there is a limit we can do in our lives - all the more we should do as much as we can, with Guidance, of course.
i posted this as a reminder to myself, not regarding doctor's orders, but to the Instructions laid down in The Book of Life (originally carved on 2 stone tablets), which also detailed the Big Plan.
ignore them at your own peril, i tell myself.
I'm sorry to hear that it was an irreversible damage but it's definitely too late to think about the 'WHAT IFs' ... Life is unpredictable and when there's prescriptions to follow we all ought to. Just in case.
kyels,
for this lady, it's already too late but we all can learn from this event. there are some common conditions where medication schedule must be strictly adhered to, eg. diabetes, coronary artery disease & hypertension, amongst others.
my mum in law jus came out of icu and i think she will b having a hard time too..a stroke,,,two weeks n still unconscious :( sometimes it makes me think how we shud try to be as close to God as possible while we still can. I never shared with her. now is too late. i havent even shared with my wife :( dilemma dilemma.
beng,
i can associate with your dilemma.
as a believer, you must pray unceasingly. you do not know when God will pour out His grace onto your MIL. this perhaps is an opportunity to share the Word with mrs beng as well.
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